Latest news with #HouseOversight
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House panel moves to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell
A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee voted Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as the Republicans on Capitol Hill push for the publication of more information related to Epstein's case. During an unrelated subcommittee hearing, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) moved to direct the panel to authorize and issue a subpoena for Maxwell to appear for a deposition, which passed by voice vote. 'Recently, Rep. Burchett sent a letter to Chairman Comer requesting a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony. In response, Chairman Comer directed Rep. Burchett to introduce a motion to subpoena Ms. Maxwell for a deposition, allowing the Committee to formally consider whether to proceed,' a spokesperson for the committee said in a statement. 'The Committee will seek to subpoena Ms. Maxwell as expeditiously as possible. Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her.' The move by Burchett comes amid an outcry from Republicans over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files — which has left the House in disarray for the second consecutive week. Its bipartisan passage is also a sign of Democratic pressure on the topic. House Oversight Republicans have quashed prior efforts by Democrats on the panel to subpoena various figures. But the parties banded together Tuesday over a shared interest in Maxwell. 'Oversight Democrats just unanimously voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's partner,' House Oversight Democrats wrote on the social platform X after the vote. 'This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth.' The House Rules Committee met Monday to tee up a series of bills for consideration on the floor, but broke for the night without finishing its work as Democrats threatened to stage another vote on whether the chamber should bring a resolution to the floor that would compel the release of the Epstein documents. Republicans on the panel saw the vote as a complicated one, caught between wanting to support the publication of the materials with placating President Trump, who has urged GOP lawmakers to drop the matter. Rules Committee Republicans faced the same vote last week and rejected the amendment, which prompted pushback from their constituents. Later in the week, the panel tried to calm the situation by advancing a nonbinding resolution calling for — but not legally requiring — the release of some Epstein files. That effort has not completely quelled the calls for more information on both sides of the aisle. In response to that pressure, Justice Department leadership announced Tuesday that it has begun to coordinate with Maxwell's attorney about setting up a meeting. 'This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement shared on X. 'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,' he added. 'Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.' An attorney for Maxwell indicated an openness to speaking with administration officials before Burchett pushed for a subpoena. 'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,' attorney David Oscar Markus wrote on X. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Oversight Democrat pledges probe into Epstein files: ‘Someone is lying'
Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, urged his colleagues Wednesday to 'demand answers' regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, as President Trump has repeatedly tried to tamp down the public fixation on the convicted sex offender's case. 'It's obvious to the American public, someone is lying, and someone is trying to hide something,' Garcia said on the House floor Wednesday. 'The truth is we don't know what the facts are in this case.' The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a memo last week it concluded in its investigation that Epstein didn't have a 'client list' and ruled he died by suicide in 2019, after Trump supporters have spent years speculating about his case. The president on Wednesday ripped supporters who have pressed for more information about documents related to Epstein. 'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls‑‑‑,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.' 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' he added. Garcia, while speaking for roughly three minutes during a session in the chamber open to various topics, propped up a giant photo of Epstein and Trump from decades ago. He detailed the president's prior statements about the disgraced financier and comments made by key members of his administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, about his case. 'Now, I can't explain why the Trump administration have changed their minds on Epstein, but their behavior raises questions,' the California Democrat said. 'This is the time that we must demand answers, and the Oversight Committee is going to do just that.' Despite the threat, Democrats on the top investigative panel do not have the ability to subpoena people on their own as the House has a GOP majority. Committee Chair James Comer's (R-Ky.) office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Separately, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee has also pressed for a hearing. 'President Trump and his top appointees at the DOJ and FBI have spent years advancing theories that 'the Deep State' has been suppressing the true magnitude of the child sex trafficking and abuse ring created by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates,' Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote in a letter to Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). 'The Trump DOJ and FBI's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and President Trump's suddenly shifting positions, have not restored anyone's trust in the government but have rather raised profound new questions about their own conduct while increasing public paranoia related to the investigation,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Oversight Dem: ‘We need to keep the pressure' on Epstein files
Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, urged lawmakers to keep pushing for the release of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files as the White House has attempted to tamp down on the issue. 'Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. We know that,' Garcia asserted on MSNBC Friday. 'It's time for the whole truth to come out.' Garcia previously pledged to launch a probe into Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top Trump officials, although he cannot force the Oversight Committee to take any action without the support of at least some of its Republican members. President Trump on Friday instructed the Justice Department to seek the release of grand jury testimony. The department filed motions in federal court later in the day to unseal the transcripts. 'I have asked the Justice Department to release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. 'With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request.' 'It will always be more, more, more,' he continued. MAGA!' Garcia, in his Friday appearance, highlighted a discharge petition in the House circulated by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a vote on releasing information related to Epstein, the now-deceased financier and convicted sex offender. The resolution now has at least 10 Republican cosponsors, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) alongside progressives like Khanna and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Garcia is not yet an official cosponsor, but he has called on the Trump administration to release files related to the Epstein case. If it garners majority support, the discharge petition would bypass the House's usual committee process and force a floor vote. That could happen as soon as the chamber returns from the August recess, Garcia said on Saturday. 'We'll see how serious the MAGA base and the MAGA Republicans actually are about releasing the files,' he said. On Friday, Garcia also attacked Fox News for editing an interview with Trump last summer in a way that he views changed Trump's answer to a question about the release of the Epstein files. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Meet Annie Tomasini, the longtime Biden loyalist subpoenaed to testify Friday about his mental health
Annie Tomasini, former assistant to President Joe Biden and former deputy chief of staff, is the latest Biden aide subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee, as Republicans investigate the alleged cover-up of the former president's cognitive decline and the potentially unauthorized use of the autopen for pardons and executive actions. Tomasini's counsel requested that House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., issue a subpoena for her scheduled appearance before the staff-led hearing this Friday. Her former colleague, Anthony Bernal, the former chief of staff to former first lady Jill Biden, was hit with his own subpoena for a closed-door deposition on Wednesday after skipping his scheduled interview when the White House waived executive privilege. Bernal's scheduled sit-down came and went quickly, however. Bernal apparently pleaded the Fifth Amendment to the questions asked by House staffers, a source familiar told Fox News Digital. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson revealed in their book, "Original Sin," that Tomasini and Bernal "loaded a written Q&A into a prompter ahead of a local interview – a document that the campaign had used in prep with Biden." Tomasini and Bernal brought out the teleprompter as his aides were trying to soften his blunders as Biden struggled to stay on message, according to the book. But the teleprompter fiasco became an easy attack line throughout Biden's re-election campaign, as President Donald Trump "weaved" through his myriad unscripted moments. The book described how Tomasini and Bernal grew closer to Biden during the pandemic, eventually becoming Joe and Jill Biden's most trusted aides. Tapper and Thompson describe the "intensely loyal" duo – Tomasini and Bernal – as taking on an "older-brother-and-little-sister vibe" among Biden's inner circle. Bernal and Tomasini later took on some of the residence staffers' roles in the White House. Tapper and Thompson said the aides "had all-time access to the living quarters, with their White House badges reading 'Res' – uncommon for such aides." "The significance of Bernal and Tomasini is the degree to which their rise in the Biden White House signaled the success of people whose allegiance was to the Biden family – not to the presidency, not to the American people, not to the country, but to the Biden theology," the authors wrote. Fox News Digital reported in 2023 that Tomasini was among nearly a dozen Biden aides and Cabinet members to have extensive ties to Hunter Biden, who was accused by Republicans of selling access to his father, dating back over a decade. The analysis revealed the extent of Hunter's potential reach in the White House ahead of the embattled first son's felony gun charges and subsequent pardon by his father in the final days of Biden's presidency. Tomasini was in frequent communication with Hunter, referred to him as her "brother" and often ended her emails with "LY" for "love you," according to emails dating from 2010 to 2016. Then-vice president Biden publicly announced on Dec. 20, 2010, that Tomasini was stepping down to take a position with Harvard University, and Tomasini kept Hunter clued in on the details of that position before she took it, according to emails. The month prior, on Nov. 19, 2010, she forwarded information to Hunter about Harvard's employee benefits and added, "Thanks." "Hey – I looked at benefits And they look pretty amazing. Any word on comp?" Hunter responded on Nov. 23, 2010. "I'll keep you posted. Thanks for looking at all the background Hunt," Tomasini replied. Tomasini was offered the job on Nov. 30, 2010, writing to Hunter, "Director of intergovernmental relations. > 120k ish – may be a little higher." She later thanked him and said she was going to tell his father the news. Months later, Hunter gave a speech at Harvard, but not before running the draft by Tomasini first. A source familiar with the Biden team's thinking told Fox News Digital that Trump would stop at nothing to exact retribution, calling the investigations into Biden's autopen use conspiratorial claims that attempt to slander a political opponent and undo valid presidential actions. "As an extension of this political gamesmanship, Congressional Republicans are following their leader and following suit by dragging public servants up to the Hill," the source said, calling the "dangerous" probe an "attempt to smear and embarrass" and a "partisan, coordinated effort." They said Trump's Department of Justice is "not normal" and "these times are not normal," so this investigation will "be no different."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Longtime Joe Biden aide appears under House subpoena after Jill's 'work husband' pleads Fifth
Former Biden administration staffer Annie Tomasini is on Capitol Hill Friday after being subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. She did not say anything to reporters on her way into her closed-door deposition with investigators. Tomasini, former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for ex-President Joe Biden, was previously scheduled to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview on Friday. A committee aide told Fox News Digital earlier this week that Tomasini's counsel requested the subpoena, but did not say why. Comer Dismisses Biden Doctor's Bid For Pause In Cover-up Probe: 'Throwing Out Every Excuse' She is the third ex-Biden administration aide to come under subpoena in Comer's probe in recent weeks. Read On The Fox News App Comer is investigating allegations that Former President Joe Biden's former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president's full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back against those claims. In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Biden affirmed he "made every decision" on his own. Just before Tomasini, House investigators heard from Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to ex-first lady Jill Biden. Bernal pleaded the Fifth Amendment on all questions about Biden and was out of the committee room less than an hour after going in. Lawmakers are largely not expected to attend the closed-door deposition, which is traditionally staff-led. Comer has been to several so far, and progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has made surprise appearances as well. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson revealed in their book, "Original Sin," that Tomasini and Bernal "loaded a written Q&A into a prompter ahead of a local interview – a document that the campaign had used in prep with Biden." Tomasini and Bernal brought out the teleprompter as his aides were trying to soften his blunders as Biden struggled to stay on message, according to the book. But the teleprompter fiasco became an easy attack line throughout Biden's re-election campaign, as President Donald Trump "weaved" through his myriad unscripted moments. The book described how Tomasini and Bernal grew closer to Biden during the pandemic, eventually becoming Joe and Jill Biden's most trusted aides. Tapper and Thompson describe the "intensely loyal" duo – Tomasini and Bernal – as taking on an "older-brother-and-little-sister vibe" among Biden's inner circle. Far-left Firebrand Says She 'Never Had A Concern' About Biden's Mental State As House Probe Heats Up Bernal and Tomasini later took on some of the residence staffers' roles in the White House. Tapper and Thompson said the aides "had all-time access to the living quarters, with their White House badges reading 'Res' – uncommon for such aides." "The significance of Bernal and Tomasini is the degree to which their rise in the Biden White House signaled the success of people whose allegiance was to the Biden family – not to the presidency, not to the American people, not to the country, but to the Biden theology," the authors wrote. A source familiar with the Biden team's thinking called House Republicans' probe "dangerous" and "an attempt to smear and embarrass." "And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump's DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge," the source article source: Longtime Joe Biden aide appears under House subpoena after Jill's 'work husband' pleads Fifth
